Topic: Coming Together [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:13

If you know how to listen to the voice of God, you can hear Him calling throughout the Body of Christ today. He is calling for unity. He is calling us to lay down our disagreements and come together in preparation for Jesus’ return.

Just the thought of that scares some believers. “How can I unify with someone from another denomination?” they say. “I’m not going to give up my doctrines and agree with theirs just for unity’s sake!”

What they don’t realize is this: scriptural unity isn’t based on doctrine.

Winds of doctrine, according to Ephesians 4:14, are childish. Winds of doctrine don’t unify. They divide and blow people in every direction. The Word doesn’t say anything about us coming into the unity of our doctrines. It says we’ll come into the unity of the faith.

In the past, we’ve failed to understand that and tried to demand doctrinal unity from each other anyway.

“If you don’t agree with me on the issue of tongues,” we’ve said, “or on the timing of the Rapture…or on the proper depth for baptismal waters, I won’t accept you as a brother in the Lord. I’ll break fellowship with you.”

But that’s not God’s way of doing things. He doesn’t have a long list of doctrinal demands for us to meet. His requirements are simple. First John 3:23 tells us what they are: to believe on the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another.

Once you and I come to a place where we keep those requirements and quit worrying about the rest, we’ll be able to forget our denominational squabbles and come together in the unity of faith. We’ll grow so strong together that the winds of doctrine won’t be able to drive us apart.

When that happens, the devil’s going to panic because the unity of the faith of God’s people is a staggering thing. It’s the most unlimited, powerful thing on earth.

Right now all over the world, the Spirit is calling the Church of the living God to unite. Hear Him and obey, and you can be a part of one of the most magnificent moves of God this world has ever seen.

Scripture Reading: Psalms 132:13-18, 133

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Topic: Jesus Never Changes [Thursday March 23, 2017]

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.— Hebrews 13:8

The Bible says, “It is appointed unto men once to die,” and to the average person this seems a stark and hopeless situation. Hundreds of philosophies and scores of religions have been invented to circumvent the Word of God. Modern philosophers and psychologists are still trying to make it appear that there is some way out other than the path of Jesus. But people have tried them all, and none of them leads anywhere but down. Christ came to give us the answers to the three enduring problems of sin, sorrow, and death. It is Jesus Christ, and He alone, who is also enduring and unchanging, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” All other things may change, but Christ remains unchangeable.

In the restless sea of human passions Christ stands steadfast and calm, ready to welcome all who will turn to Him and accept the blessings of safety and peace. For we are living in an age of grace, in which God promises that “whosoever will” may come and receive His Son. But this period of grace will not go on indefinitely. We are even now living on borrowed time.

Prayer for the day: Jesus, even if loved ones, friends, acquaintances change, You are always the same. Thank You for Your unchanging love.

Written by Billy Graham, Founder of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA). BGEA exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ by every effective means and to equip the church and others to do the same.

Topic: Associated with Change? [Wednesday 22, March 2017]

Memorise: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Read: Deuteronomy 28:11-13 (KJV)

11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

Bible in One Year: Exodus 22-23, Isaiah 66:1-14

MESSAGE:

If there is any single word that symbolises Jesus Christ, it is the word “Change”. While some changes are good, some others have negative consequences. Encountering Jesus Christ brings positive change to you. Everything about Jesus spells change. The moment He was born into this world, things began to change. Even the old calendar was changed to reflect the years before Christ was born (BC) and the years after (AD). By His virgin birth, He introduced change to the rules of childbirth. This is why “meno-pause” can become “meno-play”. By the change He brought, we have seen a 56 years-old woman testifying before the people of God with her newborn baby. No wonder Jesus said God can raise children out of stones (Matthew 3:9). Are you trusting God for the fruit of the womb but menopause is telling you that your time is past? Tell it that because your Saviour and Master, Jesus, stands for change, it cannot stand in your way. Shortly, you shall celebrate with your own baby!

If you are connected to Jesus, you cannot but experience glorious changes in your life. Nothing that He created can stand in your way. If what He created cannot stop you, how then can the evil forces and evil mechanisms that were designed by the hordes of hell stop you? They also answer to Him! Indeed, the moment He walked on water, He not only defiled the law of gravity, He also made it respond to His will (Matthew 14:23-27). By this act, the man who said what goes up must come down began to have problems with his postulates. If you encounter Jesus, you go up and stay up. This is why Deuteronomy 28:13 says,

“And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:”

Is the law of gravity affecting your business, ministry, academics, family or spiritual life? I command its downward effect to cease dragging you down from now on! From today you shall go up, and your ascent shall be unstoppable. You shall be the head and stay ahead. Ask for a definite encounter with Jesus today. If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour, that is the best place to start.

Key Point: If you have Jesus, you will be an agent of positive change everywhere you go. Do you reflect this change?

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Today’s Scripture: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NLT)

Topic: Get Your Joy Back! [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

Did you know that it’s God’s will for you to be joyful always? God wants you to be happy and carefree. He wants you to love your life no matter what your circumstances look like. In fact, when you have joy in the midst of difficult circumstances, it’s the evidence that you have faith and trust that God is going to bring you through.

God’s supernatural joy is strength. When you have His joy, you can stand strong no matter what’s going on around you. You might say, “Joel, I’m just not a real jovial person. I’m more serious. I never laugh much.” I realize God made us all differently, but you can train yourself to laugh more. I read where the average child laughs over 200 times a day, but the average adult only laughs 4 times a day. What happened? We’ve allowed the pressures of life, stress and responsibilities to steal our joy.

Make the decision today to get your joy back. Decide that you are going to look beyond your problems and look to God to see you through. Ask Him every day to fill you with His supernatural peace and joy so that you can live in His strength and victory all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, I humbly receive Your Word today. I choose to open my heart to You and invite You to fill me with Your joy and strength. Thank You for showing me Your goodness and empowering me with Your grace. I bless You today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: Pray For Them Always [21/03/2017]

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Proverbs 22:15. Read: Matt 19:13-15

The power behind prayer cannot be overemphasized when properly deployed to a particular situation. Prayer has the divine potency to turn an ugly situation into a very beautiful one, it can turn the barren to a Joyful mother of children (1 Sam 1:10-20) and turn those children to Jedidiah (the heritage of the Lord) 2 Sam 12:13. There is  power when a woman prays. God has so much endowed women that when they call upon God on their kneels, heaven responds immediately. When the man now joins his wife to pray, you can be sure miracle will happen. Many parents believe in physical discipline alone when their children err (which is very good) but you need to combine physical discipline with spiritual – prayer. Pray for your children always! Bless them always! Cancel every negative words men may have uttered against them with your mouth. Your prayers for them will enable them to adhere to your physical discipline strictly. That is what will make your absence count to them. They will say to one another, you know Mummy and Daddy said we shouldn’t do that. Jer 35:1-11

Jesus from our Bible reading left us an example, He showed us how important prayer is to children. It guides their destiny and protects them against the enemies. Are your children wayward or doing what you don’t like or approve of? Are you tired of life because of your children behaviour? It’s not too late, go on your kneels, repent and pray for them and you shall see a change in their lives in Jesus name.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, I come against every plans of the enemies concerning my children’s destiny in Jesus name

Topic: Gratitude [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

By the grace of God I am what I am…

1 Corinthians 15:10

Gratitude is an attitude.

Every man of deep gratitude is a man of great altitude.

Nothing depreciates on earth when a heart of appreciation is involved.

Gratitude means looking back with appreciation in anticipation for a better future.

Basis for Gratitude:

Correct self-appraisal.

Gratitude is natural when you realize your dependence.

Ephesians 3:8; 1 Timothy 1:12.

If God didn’t give it, you can’t have it.

1 Corinthians 4:7

Benefits of Gratitude

Spiritual lifting – John 11:41-45.

Material increase – John 6:1-11.

You can change your altitude today if you will engage an attitude of gratitude.

Topic: Grateful and Aware of God’s Love [Tuesday March 21, 2017]

Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever! – Psalm 106:1

God is always good to us, always faithful to us, always working so diligently in our lives. He is always doing something for us and acting in our best interest, so we need to respond by letting Him know we appreciate His abundant goodness.

For example, “Lord, thank You for a good night’s sleep,” or “God, I thank You that my visit to the dentist didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might,” or “Father, thank You for helping me make good decisions today,” or “Lord, thank You for keeping me encouraged.”

We can thank God silently in our hearts, and we can also voice our thankfulness aloud because that helps us stay conscious and aware of God’s love, which He demonstrates through His goodness to us.

Prayer of Thanks I thank You, Father, that You are always faithful to me. Even when I can’t see it, You are working on my behalf because You love me and You have a great plan for my life. Thank You for all the ways You demonstrate that love on a daily basis.

Topic: It May Not Make Sense [Tuesday 21, March 2017]

Memorise: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. – Isaiah 55:8

Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7 (KJV)

1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Bible in One Year: Exodus 20-21, Isaiah 65:13-25

MESSAGE:

Total obedience remains a major key to unlocking the doors of signs and wonders. In our Bible reading, when the man of God gave some instructions to the widow whose sons were about to be taken into slavery, she had every right to call them stupid instructions. He told her to go and borrow empty vessels from her neighbours. With the human understanding, one cannot see the relationship between borrowing empty containers and the money she needed. Also, she was asked to pour the oil in her little bottle into large containers. How can a small bottle of oil fill up one large container, not to mention several containers? That is exactly the point. Blessed are those who will not argue with God. If you ask about my greatest secret, it is simply that I do not argue with God. He has asked me to do many things that the rational mind with call “foolish”, and yet I never argue. Why? I discovered a long time ago that my brain is too little to understand this great God. The Bible in 1 Corinthians 1:27 says,

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”

Many years ago, when God asked me to go to the current site of the Redemption Camp, which was still a dense bush then, I did not argue. I could have advanced several reasons for not going. I could have said it was the operational base of armed robbers, or that it was very far from Lagos, or that there was no electricity or water supply there. Back then, we needed a place where a lot of people could converge for our convention. By the grace of God, I did not argue. Today, the result is there for all to see. If you can be “foolish” enough to obey God completely, you will definitely become a candidate for signs and wonders. Many of the divine instructions that produce outstanding results do not make sense. It did make sense when an axe-head fell into the river and the servant of God sank a piece of wood into the river to make the axe-head float (2 Kings 6:1-7). It did not make sense when a single march of four helpless and hopeless lepers towards the enemy’s camp became the thunderous hustling of thousands of chariots and horses, thereby chasing away the forces that had besieged Samaria (2 Kings 7:1-7). It does not make sense when you are in need and God instructs you to give Him or His servant the last you have on you (1 Kings 17:10-14). It may not make sense to you, but it does to Him. The sooner you accept His “foolish” instructions the better for you. If you have to wait until it makes sense, then the miracle might be delayed indefinitely.

Key Point: God’s mode of operation may sound foolish, but it always gets the desired results.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Water is precious. As the world’s population increases and water resources become scarcer, conservation efforts from everyone become ever more crucial.

Ford has established a global water strategy and manages to save water in its manufacturing facilities in every way possible. Between 2000 and 2015, Ford has reduced total global water use by 61%, or more than 38 billion litres. To celebrate World Water Day on 22 March, Ford would like to share tips for saving water around the house.

Drip, drip, drip…
If you’re looking for the culprit behind your waist-deep water bill at home, check for leaks. Ford conducts water leak identification programmes at manufacturing plants around the world to control water loss.

Simple savings
It’s easy to overlook simple ways to save water. If you have kids at home, stick some fun graphics around the house and encourage them to learn about the importance of water conservation.

Waste not, want not
Simple recycling like collecting water used to rinse veggies and fruits and using it to water your plants can make a big difference. Ford recycles water for further use including irrigating, floor cleaning, workshop water consumption, and more.

Gardening for the future
Rethink your garden. Ford has taken steps to reduce the need for watering by using native, drought resistant vegetation or other landscaping that requires less or no water.

Keep the hose in its holster
Instead of washing your car with a hose, try using a bucket soapy water before rinsing with a waste-reducing spray nozzle. While cleaning floors and outdoor areas, avoid using a hose when possible.

Buy efficient
Savings on water and electricity bills can make the purchase of greener machines a no-brainer in the long run, at home and in the factory.

Flush less
Try to avoid flushing away cotton balls or make-up tissues. Simply throwing them in a bin will cut down on the amount of water wasted with every flush.

Wash smart
Ford kitchen employees only operate dishwashers at full capacity. This is easily replicated at home – whether it’s a dishwasher or a load of laundry, strive to run it only when it’s completely full.